“Anything can be ‘black metal’,” proclaims Aldous Daniken, enigmatic leader and songwriter-in-chief behind UK-US extremists Qasu. “As a concept, it’s so much broader than just corpsepaint and tremolo picking. Mayhem, Immortal, Darkthrone and Emperor, they’ve all released amazing music already, so why ask the world to appreciate a second-rate facsimile?”
Working remotely with bandmates Rahsaan Sagan (vocals, synths, beats) and Nikhil Talwalkar (drums), Aldous has set about formulating a delirious sonic yin and yang where antediluvian primitivism pairs with hyper-advanced tech-culture. It is an unholy union of the ages, one which challenges the narrow-mindedness of the ‘trve kvlt’ forest dwellers and which the band themselves have dubbed ‘ancient future black metal’.
Aldous elaborates on the term: “It is formed of two separate sound-worlds – black metal’s obsession with ancient civilisations and electronic music’s nod to future worlds. Qasu looks to the terrors of the ancient world – whether spiritual, mythological, or real – to speculate on how future terrors might look.”
Why ask the world to appreciate a second-rate facsimile?
Aldous Daniken
But the future, it would seem, is already here. The trio’s debut album, A Bleak King Cometh, considers our current nightmarish existence, mirroring in its diabolic psychedelic nexus – where techno beats ricochet like wildfire amid chaotic guitars and ritualistic incantations veer from the wretched to an autotuned lullaby – a world in prurient retrograde, crawling on its knees through a cesspit of avarice and savagery.
“The ‘bleak king’ is the personification of the populist, racist, sexist politics we see profiting from the rise of social media and the degradation of critical thinking,” explains Aldous, reflecting on the album title. “The brutal and irrational are being deified to the top of the pile. As the sun sets on reason and fairness, the king sits at the peak.”
SOUNDS LIKE: Vitriolic industrial desolation
FOR FANS OF: An Axis Of Perdition, Godflesh, Blut Aus Nord
LISTEN TO: Death Dreams
A Bleak King Cometh is out now via Phantom Limb/Apocalyptic Witchcraft
